An Average Girl in an Un-Average World
by Liquid Fire and Molten Gold
Summary: I'm not special. I'm not interesting. Truth be told, I'm just your average slightly overweight, out of shape, shy, and pale bookworm. Hell the only thing NOT average about me is maybe, MAYBE my intelligence. That's it! I'm not drop dead gorgeous, I can't kick ass, I don't inspire anything, and I can't lie, flirt, or persuade to save my life! (Rest of summery inside!)
1. The One Time I Decide To Exercise

I'm not special. I'm not interesting. Truth be told, I'm just your average slightly overweight, out of shape, shy, and pale bookworm. Hell the only thing **NOT **average about me is maybe, **MAYBE **my intelligence. That's it! I'm not drop dead gorgeous, I can't kick ass, I don't inspire anything, and I can't lie, flirt, or persuade to save my life! So why in the living hell am I Universe's first choice to send to Dragon Age? Answer: I have no effing clue! But here I am, and here I'll stay till I can find a way back! Inspired by Musicalrain and her awesome story 'Truly Existing', GO CHECK IT OUT!

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**The One Time I Decide To Exercise**

**Hey guys~! I know, I'm a terrible author. I have stories and I don't update. Well I'm gonna tell you why. NONE of my friends are interested in writing anything and I don't have anyone to really bounce ideas off of. If I did, I might be able to finish something. But I'm gonna try my hardest to at least get to chapter 20 before stopping and maybe even finish this. Also if you haven't already, go check out Musicalrain's ****_Truly Existing_****! It's pretty damn good, and I just LOVE the pairing! So without further ado, let's start rolling!**

**PS: I OWN NOTHING!**

**RT: Roughly Translated**

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…

My life was nothing short of boring. I'd sleep till ten, get up, and think: _I need to get off my lazy ass, exercise, and lose some god damn weight!_ Then I would the exact opposite and get out of bed and go eat some Poptarts. After words, I would check my email, Quotev, and Deviantart account. And then I would either A) search for some good fanfics, or B) read a good book.

Today however was different. I got up at five (horrible I know), ate some eggs and bacon, changed into a pair of sweats and an oversized Aéropostale jacket (I couldn't stand the sight of my flab), grabbed _Mr. Mercedes _by Stephen King, filled a bag full of books (hey, I'm a fast reader okay!) and went out for a walk to the park (which was horrible cliché I know).

It was only a twenty five minute walk, but when I got there I was huffing and puffing like I'd just finished a marathon. Cursing myself for not bringing any water I quickly found a shaded bench under a giant maple. Drawing my knees to my chest I cracked open my book and I quickly drank in the beautiful masterpiece painted with words by Mr. King.

_"Mr. Mercedes is a shitbag, but a bright, book-reading shitbag. He has a large vocabulary and doesn't make spelling errors. Hodges can imagine Jerome Robinson saying, 'Spellchecker, my man. I mean, __**duh**__?'"_

_ Sure, sure, these days anyone with a word processing program can spell like a champ, but…"_ Losing myself in the words, I quickly forgot where I was and who I was. Nothing mattered but getting to the end of the book. In fact, I hardly registered the sounds of birds, people, and city life fading away. The only sound was that of rustling pages and the sound of my occasional shifting.

…

Something was wrong. Really, really wrong. As in, 'holy fucksticks there's a good chance I'm gonna die' wrong!

I was currently at…bow point..? _Okay, I will admit that is pretty damn cool. But it's pointing at ME! _

"What are you doing here human?" _Oh god, I might not having anything to live for, but I still like breathing! _

"I…I…um, wha—I…I…um, huh?" I squeaked and as embarrassing as it is to admit I nearly pissed myself with fear. In fact I could feel a slight trickle down my leg.

"Hamin na bor'assan lethallin (RT: Rest your bow clanmate)." Breath catching in my throat I hazard a guess of what happened to me.

I was so caught up in my reading I either A) fell asleep (which doesn't make sense because I don't remember losing unconsciousness) or B) I was found by some mental ass people who think they're Dalish elves from DA (but again that doesn't make sense. I mean I know I'm oblivious, but…). Now I surveyed my options.

I could either go down with a 'fight' (I use the term 'fight' loosely because…well, I'd probably only manage a punch or two before dying), OR I indulge in their crazy ass fantasy…I'm going with numerous dos.

"You're too soft lethallan, you know humans bring trouble. No matter how innocent they look."

"Look at her, she is cowering like a frightened and trapped animal! She has no weapons to speak of and she is so soft I highly doubt she can hit you hard enough for you to feel!" Here I let out a small squeak of protest but cowered when the two figures turn to me. The female (I'm assuming) turned to the male (again another assumption),

"See, the shem is so terrified she can't speak, she can only let out small, high pitched noises."

"You know what animals do when they are trapped and frightened! They attack!"

"Look at her, Solis! Does she look dangerous to you!?"

"…" There was a huff,

"She's terrified! Let. Her. Go!" This roused a reaction from the dude.

"LET HER GO!? SO SHE CAN BRING A MOB OF THE BLIGHTED SHEMLEN HERE AND DRIVE US OUT!?" I yelped in fear and backed away even farther.

"SOLIS!" The chick snapped; anger coating her words.

"It's the truth Stella! And you know it! Don't you remember what happened to Mother and Father!?"

"It's elves like you that give Dalish such a bad name! Your bloody prejudice is going to end you!"

"Prejudice!? PREJUDICE!? _PREJUDICE_!?" I let out a little 'eep' of shock and fear but the two ignored me. Instead they continued their shouting match.

"YES PREJUDICE! YOU KEEP BLAMING HUMANS OF THE NOW FOR WHAT HAPPENED YEARS AGO!"

"THIS IS WHY YOU WILL NO DOUBT BECOME A FLAT—EAR! YOU HAVE NO CARE FOR OUR HISTORY! NO CARE FOR OUR—"

"Um, e—excuse me?" I squeaked and then let out a yelp as the two whirled around to face me.

"So the shemlen can speak. And here I thought you could only whimper and cower."

"Solis." The chick hissed; warning in her voice.

"Fine, speak human." I winced at his harsh tone.

"Um, um…y—you d—don't re—really thi—think…uh—"

"SPEAK!" The man shouted.

"EEK!" I jumped.

"Solis."

"Continue."

"Um, do you really think y—you're elves?" I squeaked out. Silence filled the air.

"Are you serious?" The dude asked; all traces of rage gone and instead shock and disbelief filled his tone. _No I'm Severus, _I thought but kept my mouth shut. "She can't serious, please tell me I heard her wrong."

"I wouldn't be surprised if you scared all of her wit right out of her!" The chick snapped.

"W—y—you d—don't really believe you guys are elves, d—do you?"

"By the Creators' holy ball sacks," the girl whispered, "Solis what'd you do?"

"Me!? How is this my fault!?"

"When you were tying her up, you kept slamming her head into the tree!" _Wha— I'm tied up!? …HOLY SHIT I AM! OW, bloody hell! The crazy ass bitch just had to mention the whole 'slamming my head into a tree' didn't she!? _I closed my eyes at the raging headache that hit me.

"SO!?"

"_SO_, I'm not surprised you knocked some of the sense out of her head!" _It's not __**ME **__that's had the sense knocked out of my head darlin', it's you. _I thought; a small frown marring my face.

"She's probably naturally slow and soft minded."

"H—hey!" I squeaked (Jesus, what was up with me and squeaking!?), "I—I'm no—not sl—slow!" I stuttered; trying to manage a glare…though I probably looked more like an upset baby monkey instead.

"Then why do you stutter every time you speak?" The dude asked. I bit my lip and didn't answer. _Because you, my friend, scare the living shit out of me. _"See, she can't even answer me!"

"Creators have mercy, then let her go Solis! If she is soft minded, then no one would believe her if she told them about us!"

"That's a bunch of halla shit Stella and you know it." Okay, I really didn't like this Solis dude. _Listen here arsehole,_ I thought venomously, _if you were __**REALLY **__a Dalish elf, I would never do anything to endanger your clan. _But since I was cursed at birth with severe cowardliness and shyness, I kept my mouth shut.

"To Banalhan (Blight) with you and your prejudice!" Stella snapped, and I heard the sound of a knife being drawn and then I dropped to the ground onto my back. With a yelp I managed to get to my feet and look around.

I hadn't realized it, but it was dark. Not pitch black dark, but dark enough that I could only make out faint figures.

"W—where am I—I?" I asked; looking around. No one answered me, but I could hear…**_the sound of flint striking metal!? _**_Holy shit sticks! These two are really in character._

"Damn cloth's too damp to strike flames!" Stella..? I think, muttered; he/she were speaking too low to for me to identify if the voice was feminine or masculine.

"Here try this." Okay that **_was_** Stella. A minute later there was a bright fire…and the two people in the middle made me stop and gap.

"Oh. My. GOD." And then I proceeded to pass out.

Last thing I remembered was the sight of pointed ears and lean, lithe bodies. Because Stella and Solis weren't crazy ass mothereffers. No they were indeed elves.

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**LFMG: Alright, here it is. Sorry Musicalrain, I know I told you I would have this posted in the morning…but well, things happened. Give me some feedback peoples, because I DESPERATELY need it! OH and I'm going to post a question of the day or week or whatever.**

**Q: What would ****_YOU_**** do if you woke up in the DA universe, what Warden would you want, who would you romance, where would you want to be found, and what class would you want to be (mage, warrior, rouge). **


	2. Oh Well…I'm Feeling A Bit Faint

**Oh Well…I'm Feeling A Bit Faint**

"Mmph," I moaned; rolling over and cuddling into my pillow…except it wasn't my pillow I cuddled into…it was a solid rock floor. I shot right up, "OW!" Rubbing my now tender nose I tried to remember why I was on a solid rock floor. _Did I go drinking last night..? No, I haven't touched a drink since high school. _Then it all came rushing back to me.

"Oh good God Almighty…" I whispered.

"Who's 'God Almighty'?" A soft, feminine voice asked. Turning I stopped and stared. My jaw was no doubt so wide I probably looked like a snake waiting to swallow its prey. "Is something wrong?" She asked; head cocked to the side. Then she started scrubbing a hand across her cheek, "Oh Creators, there's still some blueberry on my face isn't there?" _Honey, there's nothing on your face but beautiful, _I thought dumbly. Now I was by no means lesbian or bi, I just know to appreciate beauty despite the gender, and I assure you, if you were to flip to the word 'beautiful' in the dictionary her picture would be there (again really cliché, but hey…).

A soft and slender face with full, plush lips, a delicate pixie nose, and almond shaped eyes were framed with long, wild black hair. A pale silvery blue tattoo twisted and curved in the most delicate way (actually it's just like Mithra's from Zathrian's clan). Her skin was as white as freshly fallen snow and looked as smooth as marble. But it was her eyes that really caught my attention. They were a soft golden color, not a bold gold, but still bright. Kinda like when you look at the stars in the cold, crisp winter night (God, now I sound like some creepy ass stalker.).

"N—no, I—I'm s—sorry." I muttered; rubbing my arms against the sudden chill. She smiled; showing off amazingly white teeth.

"No apology necessary!" I nodded my head and quickly looked away from her inquiring stare. Que awkward silence. _Damn me and my lack of social skills! _"Sooooooo….who are you?"

"Wh—what?" I asked; cursing myself for my stuttering.

"Who are you? What's your name? And where are you from? And while we're at it, what in the world are you wearing?" Blinking at the rapid fire questions I took a minute to reply.

"I—I'm Gr—Grace. A—and I'm n—not exactly f—from Fe—Ferelden." Stella laughed,

"I can see that! Well my name is—"

"Is that shem up?" Stella sighed and rolled her eyes at the interruption. I fought a grin; God that reminded me of me and my brother together. A pang shot through my heart. _Probably be better not to think about that…God I want to go home! _'Home', the one thing that I always wanted to get away from (hence me moving to Boston) is now the one thing I want to get back to. Blinking away tears I looked up at the sound of my name.

"That shem has a name. It's Grace."

"And I should care why..?"

"Because…" To be honest, I lost all interest in Stella after words. Why? Because Solis was **_FUCKING GORGEOUS_**!

Dark red hair fell to his broad shoulders, which were currently tense giving me a fantastic view of his taut muscles. A sharp face with even sharper features filled my head with so many perverted thoughts it would make Zevran blush…or highly, highly, **_HIGHLY _**aroused. Though his eyes (I think I'm getting an eye fetish…**_EWW!_**) were a shade of molten gold (haha!). Jesus Christ, he looked like he **_WAS _**born from the sun…**_and blurry!? _**_Why is he blurry?_ _Unless…oh no. OH NO! _I raised a hand to my face and it took all my willpower not to sob.

_ MY GLASSES! WHERE THE FUCK ARE MY GLASSES!? _I was panicking, no I was more than panicking! I was having a damn heart attack. _Shitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshit! _If I lost my glasses, I would be screwed! No I would be beyond screwed! I'd be fucked beyond belief!

"Be polite Brother!"

"She's not even paying attention! I doubt she could tell you anything we've said in the past five minutes!"

"Wh—what?"

"See, I told you." Stella rolled her gold colored eyes,

"She's no doubt in a fear induced paralysis from your earlier treatment!" _Try lust induced paralysis darling—! NO BAD GRACE! BAD, BAD, BAD, BAD, **BAD** GRACE! Priorities woman, pri—fucking—orities! _

_1. __Find my glasses__2. __Find out where the fuck I am__3. __Find out who the hell these people are__4. __Pray to whatever higher power there is that I don't die!_

I nodded my head in slight satisfaction, _alright, that's a start. It's better than nothing. Keep calm, and just breathe…and don't piss off the Dalish. _

"Grace, Grace are you okay?" Blinking I said dumbly,

"Yah?"

"Are you okay, you seem a bit…troubled." _Well…if you call waking up in a world you thought was nothing but fiction a trouble…then yes. I am very troubled. _

"Wh—when I wo—woke up, wa—was th—there any—anything on me—me?" I stuttered out; praying she would say yes. Stella cocked her head to the side,

"Well you had these strange…" she trailed off, unsure how to continue.

"Rec—reactangu—gular f—frames?" She nodded; eyes bright,

"Yes, exactly! And you also had a strange cloth bag filled with books! Very strange books…you're not a mage are you?" I shook my head,

"N—no, and c—c—can you h—hand me—me tho—those f—f—frames?"

"Of course!" Stella shouted; causing both me and Solis to wince. Me in pain because of my headache and Solis…well he seems like the kind of guy who gets irritated by everything…like Fenris! _Ha, Siana would be fangirling right now! _A pang hit me, _no, no! I said no thinking about home! Not unless I know for sure I can go home! _

"There in my pack." Shaking my head I looked up to see Stella and Solis arguing.

"Where!? Your pack is a mess!"

"By the Creators, it's not that bad!"

"Really!? Would you like to look!?"

"Okay, it's a little messy…but come on! You don't get on Tamlen for this…but then again he must keep **_something_** clean...maybe **_three_** somethings?" I blushed a cherry red, _OH GROSS! SO COULD HAVE LIVED WITHOUT KNOWING THAT! _And if Stella's red ears were anything to go by she could've lived without her brother announcing that.

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…well this awkward…"

"_You're the one that made it awkward_!" Stella shrieked; her voice unusually high.

"…let's just fine the damned frames…" _Please! _

"FOUND THEM!" Stella shouted. Que more wincing from me and Solis. Reaching out I nearly sobbed with relief when I felt the smooth plastic of my glasses. Brushing my hair out of my face I watched as everything cleared and magnified.

"Th—thank you," I whispered. Stella smiled and I could that she had a dimple on her right cheek,

"No thanks necessary, but if you don't mind me asking…what do those frames do exactly?"

"They hel—help me—me s—see f—faraw—away." Stella's gold eyes widened,

"Really!? You humans have the most interesting and helpful inventions!" Solis snorted; his blazing eyes narrowed with anger and annoyance,

"Please," he stated, "if humans and their invention were so interesting and helpful then they wouldn't need elves as slaves!" I bit my lip, the growing need to defend my race building…but I highly doubted I could've lasted five minutes before turning into a human pincushion.

"Solis." He shook his head, his fiery hair swaying with him,

"Fine, I'll hold my tongue for now…but when this human betrays you," his tone was ominous, "don't come running to me." He turned and walked away.

"Banalhan to you Brother!" Stella shouted and then proceeded to swear in Elvish. Shaking her head with a huff she turned to me, "I apologize for my brother's behavior. He is…one of those who are not prepared to let go of our peoples' grudge."

"N—n—no ha—hard f—f—feelings." I muttered; taking in my surroundings. Dread filled my core as I saw where we were.

The ruins in the Brecilian Forest…where Mahariel and Tamlen found the mirror…and where they both got tainted with the Blight…but that would mean…_no way! _Turning to Stella I looked at her wide eyed,_ are you bloody serious!? _

"I—I d—d—don't mean t—t—to be—be rude b—b—but who a—a—a—are you?" Stella smacked herself with both hands, eyes wide,

"Abelas falon! I forgot all about introductions!" Shaking the fact that she just called me friend in Elvish I nodded for her to continue. "Of course you probably already heard our names: I am Stella and the one who just walked away was my brother Solis. We're Stella and Solis Mahariel of the Sabrae—BY THE CREATORS' HOLY SCROTOMS! ARE YOU ALRIGHT!?" I nodded,

"J—just f—f—fine," though I swayed slightly and reached out for something to steady myself with, "t—t—though I—I f—f—feel a bit faint." And I proceeded to pass out for the second time that day.

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**EEP! SORRY FOR THE WAIT! This chapter just kicked my ass as you can see! But I'm not going to agonize with it. **

**Okay, so along with a question of the week there will also be an answer from me! And here it is:**

**Q #1: What would _YOU_ do if you woke up in the DA universe, what Warden would you want, who would you romance, where would you want to be found, and what class would you want to be (mage, warrior, rouge). **

**A: I would first panic, question my life decisions that brought me to this point, and then proceed to fangirl all over the place all the while praying that I don't meet my untimely end.**

**I would want any of the Elvish origins to find me (I know, I'm racist to my own kind! But hey…elves are cuter! …unless you're Zevran from DAII. What happened to my beautiful Zev *wails*). **

**I would either romance any of the Wardens if they were male, Zevran, or save myself for either Anders, Nathanial, Male Hawke, Sebastian, or Carver.**

**Finally I would want to be a mage. Because you know, there are a shit ton of advantages to being a mage. But the most important is because you can stare at the lovely arses of those hot, smexy males in front of you.**

**Q #2: Who do you think has the cutest ass out of all the DA men (DA:O, DA: Awakening, DAII)? **


	3. Angst, Confusion, And…Friendship?

**Angst, Confusion, And…Friendship? **

You know, I've heard of getting ice cold water dumped on someone's face to get them up in the morning, but I've never experienced it…until today.

"_OH BLESSED JESUS AND HIS HOLY BALLSACK THAT'S COLD_!" I shrieked; spitting the excess water out.

"'Blessed Jesus..?' that's new." Stella commented; holding a still dripping bucket in her hands. Gasping and spluttering I pushed my damp hair out of my face,

"Wha—what wa—wa—was th—that f—f—for?" I asked; my stutter twice as bad now that I was both nervous, scared, **_AND_** cold. The raven haired girl just shrugged,

"You've been unconscious since early morning."

"E—e—early morn—morning?"

"It's midmorning." She added. _So it's around like, what? 10-11 o'clock? Damnnit! I knew I should've finished that Middle Ages history book! _"—Well come on, my brother isn't known for his patience."

"Wha?" Stella groaned and rolled her eyes,

"I said, my brother and I found you when we stumbled upon these ruins. Obviously you must have known about these and maybe even explored them some, so we want you to come and help us. Solis is waiting deeper in." _Damn, you are expecting and assuming **A LOT** of things hun…but you are correct! _

"O—o—ok—k—k—kay." I muttered; wiping my still soaked hair from my face, "B—b—b—but c—c—c—c—can y—y—y—y—you a—a—a—at l—l—l—least h—h—h—hand m—m—me m—m—m—my b—b—b—bag?" Stella flashed me another brilliant and **_white_** smile.

"Sure!" _…can't help but wonder…am I going to witness some FemMahariel x Alistair? _

_Chika, don't get ahead of yourself. You still have a lot of things left to get through before you even **MEET **Alistair. _

_True…and am I having a mental conversation with myself?_

_Yes, yes you are._

_You **ARE **me!_

_…True…_

_Jesus, I'm gonna stop now. I'm, I'm just gonna stop now. _

"Here you go Grace!" Jolting back at the sudden intrusion of my fake leather bag in my field of vison, it took me a minute to realize that Stella was **_HANDING_** it to me. Blinking, I took it gratefully and flashed her a small smile. She smiled back.

The bag wasn't anything special…at least to **_ME_**! But the way that Stella was eyeing it, I could tell that it was the exact opposite to her.

It was just a plain black fake leather bag, fairly big, with fringe! Also it was filled to the brim with books.

"That is the strangest looking fabric I have ever seen." Stella commented; looking at with wonder. I shrugged; shouldering it,

"I—it's ar—ar—ar—artificial."

"Ar—arti—arteefishal?" She said; butchering the word horribly and causing me to giggle softly.

"I—I—I'll e—e—e—ex—ex—ex—explain l—l—l—later." She cocked her head to the side,

"Okay!" _Damn, she is really, really, really CUTE…and I say that in the most unlesbian way possible! You know? She reminds me of Merril…OH MY GOD! So **THAT'S **where she gets her adorableness from!_

"Are you coming?" _I really need to stop this whole thinking thing in the middle of a bloody sequence or whatever! _

"Y—y—yeah!" And with that I made my way to Stella who was standing at the top of the stairway leading down. She grinned at me,

"Ready for an adventure!?"

"N—n—n—no."

"That's the spirit!"

…

_Jesus Christ in heaven! Someone help me! _My thighs were burning along with my chest and my feet ached! GOD! I don't think I've ever walked so much in my life!

"You really haven't walked much have you?" Stella asked when we got to the bottom of the stairs. I shook my head no, "I can tell." I collapsed onto the bottom step and let out a moan of happiness. Stella giggled, "Here, it's a water skin." Taking it gratefully, I chugged damn near the whole thing before giving it back.

"Th—th—thank you." Another smile,

"You're welcome!" _You know? I really like Stella, she's sweet! And kinda insane…reminds me of Luna Lovegood from Harry Potter actually. _

"What are you?"

"E—e—excuse me?" I squawked; slightly offended. Stella blushed to the tip of her ears,

"OH I'M SORRY! Please don't take that the wrong way! I just wanted to know your occupation!" _My…occupation? …Um, well…what **IS** my occupation? I mean, I worked part—time at Kroger, but I don't think DA had salesclerks. Besides I was studying to major in history and God knows that took up most of my life…not that I had much of one to begin with…damn that's depressing._

"—you're a scholar aren't you!?"

"What?"

"A scholar, that'd would explain why you have all those strange books and that material!" Stella gasped, "Are you a mage as well? Have you escaped from the Tower of Magi! By the Creator's granny panties (hehe! See what I did there? *Wink, wink, nudge, nudge*) you're an apostate!" Taken aback by her rapid fire assumptions I just sat there, blinking. _Jesus, and people say **I** talk fast! _Taking my bewildered silence as a 'yes' Stella continued, "Don't worry, I won't turn you in. Nor will I let my brother."

"S—S—Stella, I—I'm n—n—not a—a—a m—m—mage."

"You're, you're not?" I shook my head no, "Well, are you at least a scholar." I hesitated. Being a scholar could explain why I knew so much…not to mention I would actually be useful as well (granted I made it that far). And I would have to read a shit ton of books, but I'm a fast reader so that wouldn't be a problem. Finally I decided 'fuck it' and nodded,

"Y—y—yes." She brightened,

"Then you must know about tales about us Dalish!"

Fun fact: I knew a shit ton about the Dalish! When DA first came out I was immediately drawn in by the enticing tale of the elves and how they lost their whole culture. I scoured DA Wiki for months, learning everything about them (#GeekPride!) and even went as far as making notes that I stored on both my phone and my laptop…HOLY SHIT ON A STICK MY PHONE!

Wasting no time, I dumped the contents of my biker purse (don't ask) onto the floor.

_Macbeth, Hamlet, The Green Mile, Tommyknockers, Mr. Mercedes, _(how'd that end up in my bag…screw it! My brain hurts too much to think) _The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings…but no phone…_

_ Where the hell did I leave the son of a bitch then?" _

…

United States, Kentucky

"Hello?"

"Hello, is this Mr. ******?"

"No, I'm his son Muhammad. Who are you?"

"Muhammad…may I speak to your father."

"Uh…yeah sure." Covering the receiver; the thirteen year old boy shouted, "DAD! SOME GUY WANTS TO TALK TO YOU!"

"Then bring the phone here!" Rolling his eyes; Muhammad left his homework on the table and handed the phone to the graying old man.

At fifty—seven, the father of five was no were close to keeling over. As lucid as he was thirty something years ago, he knew when something was off…like the phone call.

"Hello?"

"Mr. ******?"

"Yes?"

"My name is Officer Paul Randall, I'm with the BPD." His blood went cold,

"Officer, what can I do for you?" _Please, please Allah, I'm begging you…_

"My deepest apologies, but your daughter…" _No, no, no, no! Please Allah! _"Your daughter's gone missing…we believe she's been kidnapped."

…

"Hello?"

"Hello, yes, is Mrs. ********** present?"

"Ah yeah, yeah she is. Who are you?"

"It's important if I speak to her right away."

"…Alright…" The sixteen year old boy frowned but handed the phone to his mom, "Someone wants to talk to you…they said it's important."

"Hello?"

"Mrs. **********?"

"Yes?"

"My name is Officer Annie Smith, I'm with the BPD." The Korean woman frowned and turned to her son with confusion written all over her face,

"BPD?" Daniel paled; his blood turning cold,

"Yes, Boston Police Department."

"Police?"

"Ma'am, I suggest you sit down."

"Why, what's wrong?"

"It's about your daughter, Miss Grace ******."

"What about her?"

"She's gone missing…we believe she was kidnapped."

Daniel rushed to catch his falling mother as she fainted, the last thing she remembered were the words, _"We believe she was kidnapped."_

…

Thedas, Brecilian Forest

"Is something the matter? Are you missing something?"

"It—it's n—n—n—not im—imp—p—p—portant."

* * *

** I SUCK at angst. I really do. But I'm not gonna fuss that much or I'll end up rewriting the whole thing…and I may do that after I finish this. I'm not sure. Anywho~! Time for questions and answer~!**

**Q #2: Who do you think has the cutest ass out of all the DA men (DA: O, DA: Awakening, DAII)? **

** A #2: ALL OF THEM! But if I had to pick, default MHawke! You do not want to know how many times I've focused my camera angle down there…**

** Q #3: Be honest. How long do you really think you'll last in the DA universe? **

** See ya next week, and I promise, things will heat up! …Not in that way perverts! **

** BTW: I'll be posting this on my DeviantArt under the name Wyatha, so no need to comment that someone stole my writing because it's my name! Oh and it'll be on Quotev under Liquid Fire and Molten Gold! **


	4. I'm A What?

I'm A What?

Thoroughly confused; I dumped my books back into my bag and began to pat myself down. Nothing. _Where the hell is it? _

"Are you sure you're not missing anything?"

"I **_am_** missing something, but it's not important." Stella narrowed her eyes,

"…I do believe you're lying…and what happened to that stutter of yours?" I blinked, damn…I didn't even realize…

"I…I don't know…" Stella shrugged,

"Eh, let's just say it's because the lack of my brother's presence. Anywho, I want to get back to my original question. You know a lot about us Dalish don't you?" I hesitated and gnawed my lip before nodding a slow 'yes'. Her gold eyes lit up, "Can—can you tell me what you know? Please?"

"Uh, well…um," I rubbed the back of my neck in discomfort. Her face fell,

"I understand if you don't want too…" _No, no! Don't you **DARE**! _Too late. _Fucking hell! Those puppy dog eyes…I can't resist…OH GOD DAMN IT! _

"Well I, um don't know if all my information's correct…but I'll tell you what I know right off the top of my head." Her golden eyes brightened and she looked like an over excited puppy! I had to hold back the urge to scratch her behind the ears and squeal. _Damn it! She is too cute for her own good! _

"I'll take whatever you have!"

"Um, okay…well. Why don't we start with the beginning?"

"It's up to you falon." _Why does she keep calling me friend..? I've only known her for a few hours…_

Before I even realized I was telling her everything I could remember about the elves. She listened with rapt attention and I didn't even noticed that we had walked further into the ruins until I felt a slight tugging sensation. Jolted out of my long winded talk, I looked around, strangely nervous.

"Something wrong Grace?" The tugging was weak but insistent. Like a little kid desperately trying to gain the attention of their parents.

"Do you…do you feel that?" I asked. Stella cocked her head to the side but I saw the way her eyes sharpened as she too looked around.

"Feel what?"

"A…a tugging kind of feel."

"No falon, I do not." Deciding to shrug it off I replied,

"Probably just my imagination."

"Maybe not…the Veil here in the Brecilian Forest is very thin. Maybe you are more sensitive to the magic of the Beyond." She still hasn't dropped the idea that I was a mage.

"Well whatever it is, it doesn't matter right now. Where's your brother?" Stella grimaced,

"Farther up ahead. He's probably upset that we're taking so long." Despite myself, I shivered. I didn't know why, but the thought of Solis being angry with me was terrifying.

"Well, let's not make him wait any more than he has too."

…

"What took you two so long?" I winced at his harsh tone and cowered slightly. Stella, however, just shrugged,

"We're here aren't we?"

"That's not the point."

"There is no point Brother."

"Your recklessness is going to get you killed!"

"How was I being reckless!?"

"You were alone with that shem!"

"And that's reckless how!?"  
"She could've killed you! Or worst: sold you into slavery!"

"You know? I find it insulting that to you, my death is less important than being sold." Feeling awkward; I shifted and hugged myself. I never could handle these kind of things. When family members got angry at each other I always had some sort of excuse to get away, but not today. Today I had sit through this horrible awkward situation.

Their shouting grew and my awkwardness along with it. They had long ago reverted to Elvish and I could only watch as their pale skin flushed red with anger. _Jesus, they are really getting into it…_

The moment I thought they would come to blows was broken as multiple snarls filled the air. What I saw next made me gasp and back away in horror.

A dozen or so skeletons came scrambling to us; much faster than I thought a pile of bones could be. Their blades gleamed dangerously in the weak sunlight that managed to find a way into the ruins and I couldn't help but let out a short scream of terror.

Empty sockets looked back at us and the way their teeth gnashed together caused a horrible fingernails on a chalkboard kinda noise.

"Blessed Creators! What are those things!?" Stella shrieked; drawing her twin blades.

"Skeletons!" Solis said and I was unsure whether it was a reply or a statement of the obvious. He unsheathed his sword and brought up his shield. I could only watch in helplessness and admiration as the two of them engaged the undead. They were, simply put, beautiful.

Despite the obvious fear in Stella's face she never once ran away. When she melted into the shadows she always reappeared and would quickly cut through the spines of her opponents before melting back.

Solis was a tank. He bashed in skulls with both his shield and the pommel of his blade. Not once caring about the nails scratching at him. He would let out a battle cry that would shake the whole ruin and send three or four skeletons flying into the walls, instantly pulverizing the bones made fragile by time.

When the last of them were cut down the two both sheathed their blades and Stella let out a sigh of relief,

"That's the last of them. Thank the—"

"**_ROAR!_**" Her thanks was cut off by a menacing roar and Stella and I shrunk back.

"What the hell was that?" Solis shouted; redrawing his blade. I whimpered softly, I knew what it was…a bereskarn…I think. But knowing my luck it could be a dragon or something.

"Do you know what it is Grace?" Stella asked; grabbing onto my arm as another roar shook the ruins. I gave a weak nod.

"Well what is it shem!?" Solis asked and I shrank back at his loudness. Licking my lips I said softly, my voice cracking,

"I…I think it's a bereskarn."

"A what!?" Stella asked; eyes bewildered.

"A bereskarn, a bear corrupted by the Blight."

"How is that possible!? There is no Blight!" Solis argued. _That's what you think…_

"I'm not saying that! It's possible that it's been here for years!" I shot back. Solis looked slightly taken aback by my backtalk…and truth be told I was too.

"I think we should trust Grace on this. I mean, she was here investigating these ruins so she must have some idea of what's here." _Thank God you're here Stella! _

"**_ROAR!_**" Holy shit! It's getting closer!

"I…I think we should run! We should run right fucking now!" I squeaked and the two wasted no time in following my suggestion. Still griping my arm Stella and I took off with Solis right behind us.

Stella easily dodged the tree roots and uneven steps while Solis and I struggled to follow suit. Before I knew it we were at a door…_the Eluvian. _The tugging sensation came back, a little stronger.

_…help me…_ I jerked back and looked around.

_…help me…please…_

_ Okay this is freaking me the fuck out! _

_…help me…_

"Grace are you alright!?" I let out a slight scream at Stella's sudden question and ended up falling on my ass. _No, no I am not alright! I'm hearing voices in my fucking head! I'm in a world that I once thought was fiction! I'm being chased by a tainted bear! And your brother would like nothing more but to run me through with that giant ass sword of his!_

"Sorry…I'm freaking out right now."

"Your hair's on fire!" _WHAT!? _

"WHAT!?"

"LOOK!" I grabbed the ends of my hair and I screamed again. My. Hair. Was. On. Fire!

Tendrils of smoke curled and floated away at the tips.

"Holy shit…" And with that my vision went black.

…

"Ung, my poor head." I woke up with a throbbing headache and was surprised that I was nearly nose to nose with Stella. With a yelp I jerked back and then whimpered in pain. "Jesus, how long was I out for?"

"No very long, only a few seconds. Your hair's no longer on fire either." My hand automatically reached up and patted down my hair. Nothing. There was no sign that my hair had ever been on fire. It wasn't burnt and it didn't smell either.

"Is that why you didn't tell us that you were a mage? Because you couldn't control it?" Stella asked; looking at me with those big gold eyes of her. _A mage..? Me!? There's no way…but how..? _"You don't need to hide it from us lethallan. We would not turn you into the Templars."

I couldn't speak. I couldn't move. My mind was racing, everything that had happened to me in these past few hours caught up to me.

I was in a land of fiction! FICTION! But it wasn't fiction…I don't know how to explain it but…God this cannot be happening!

"Oh God, oh God, oh God, oh God, oh God, _oh God_!" I began to cry, no wail was more like it. I was faintly aware of the fact that Stella had her arms around me, but right now all I could think about was home. _Home…_

I've heard people say that home was where the heart was. It was with your family and friends, and I've never really understood the reason why people said it. I mean yeah, friends and family were great but so were food, bed, and a good book. Now as I sat there; tired beyond belief along with sore, upset, and no doubt looking like a wreck I finally understood.

I would never see my dad again. Or my mom and step—parents. I would never listen to Muhammad whine about how hard Algebra was or how Daniel would refuse to let anyone pay half for a car again. I would never get to laugh with Tina or Alex.

I would _NEVER _go home again..!

…

United States, Boston

"Is there anyone who had any ill intention towards Miss ****** Miss *******?" Tina shook her head,

"No sir, Grace was quiet. She kept to herself mostly, other than me, Alex, Siana, and her family." Randall nodded; jotting something down he looked back to the young 22 year old.

Pretty long dark hair was bundled into a severe bun and sharp intelligent brown eyes gazed back him. _Oh yeah…she's gonna be a pretty damn good lawyer. _He thought; taking in the khakis and business blouse.

"Can you give me her relations with everyone you just listed?" Folding a tissue that she had been given Tina nodded,

"Of course. Alex and I have been friends with Grace since middle school and we still are today. Siana's been friends with Grace since grade school and the four of us have been friends since Grace introduced the three of us.

Mike is her dad and Azeeza is her step—mother, Azeeza and Grace are more sisters than mother and daughter.

So Yon is her mom and Yeoung is her step—father, the three have a tense relationship but Daniel, her brother, acts as peacekeeper.

Then there's her 6 siblings, with Daniel and Muhammad being the only one's old enough to understand what's going on.

Then there's her ex Camden, but he's in California."

"Do you feel if there's any need to check into Camden."

"No, he's not who you should be worried about. It's her ex Sean."

"Sean..?"

"******, Sean ******. He's been obsessed with Grace since grade school. At first she thought that it was just a childhood crush but…when he moved to Boston the same day she _did_ that's when we knew. He started to follow her and she even told me that she thinks that he watches her when she gets home. She had the windows boarded shut in her apartment and she carried a gun with her where ever she went, but he wouldn't _stop! _Then she got a restraining order and we haven't seen him since…but," she looked up, eyes wide with fear and anger, "you don't think that's he's been planning her kidnapping do you!?"

Paul sighed, scribbling down the important details, "I don't know, but there's a good chance that you're right." Standing up he held his hand out to her, "Thank you for your time." Gripping his hand in a surprisingly strong grip Tina replied,

"Don't thank me until you catch the son of a bitch who took her and find her!" Holding her gaze he nodded,

"I'll remember that."

Ruins, Brecilian Forest

"**_ROAR!_**" The ground shook with the intensity and closeness of the bereskarn. Stella's head whipped up, eyes wide as Solis unsheathed his broadsword.

"Shit…" Stella murmured; letting go of me and drawing her daggers.

"We should've killed the shem while we had the chance, then we wouldn't be in this situation!" Solis yelled. Thundering paw steps echoed through the halls and I let out a scared whimper, my previous depression forgotten. Crawling back, I pressed myself against the wall of the ruins. Screw pride and courage I was so fucking terrified I think I pissed myself.

Pulling myself in a standing position I heard a faint crackling sound and I looked down into my clenched fist and gently opened it. A bright orange flame danced around on the palm of my hand. Giving us some much needed light the shadows looked more menacing and as my breathing quickened the flame grew and it changed color. Red to blue and blue to green. _Green, my favorite color…_as the thought ran through my heads the flame stopped. It literally stopped. There were no flickers or color change…it just, just stopped…

"Holy shit…" My eyes were glued to the dark green flame that was resting on the palm of my hand.

"How…how did you do that..?" Stella asked; lowering her blades. Her gold eyes were as wide as saucers as she looked at the small fire. I was just as stunned,

"I…I don't know, I don't know."

"I've, I've never seen anything like it…"

"Neither have I…"

"**_ROARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!_**" We both jumped and I dropped the green fire and it began to spread.

"SHIT!" After that everything went blurry. I remember a slew of Elven curses and blood…lots of blood. Then the smell of roasting flesh. Then nothing…absolutely nothing.

**Damn this is long…oh well, hopefully it'll make up for my really long absence. Speaking of absence, school has started up again and it is INSANE how much work they've already piled us with not to mention my sinuses have been acting up again. *Sigh* Anywho, thanks to all my friends who've allowed me to tarnish their names in my FF! 'Specially you Sean…**

** It was kinda funny really, when we were writing this. I was like, 'hey Sean, do you mind if I make you my stalking ex—boyfriend in my FF?' And he said sure, he didn't care. I have awesome friends!**

** Oh and if you want to know what happened to Grace's stutter it's because A) it's a pain in the ass to write and B) someone was complaining to me about how it made the story kinda hard to read so… **

** Now A & Q:**

** Q #3: Be honest. How long do you really think you'll last in the DA universe? **

** A #3: Hmm, a day…maybe. Depends on who I land with. If it was with the Hawke family maybe longer. But if I landed with the Warden…yeah it wouldn't be pretty. **

** Q #4: What would you do if you found out you were a mage?**

** Btw, don't be afraid to answer more than one question, I like all ya'll's responses! See ya next week…maybe. **


	5. Warden Man Say What Now?

Warden Man Say What Now!?

You know that feeling when you're underwater and everything is really fuzzy? That's what I felt like. And when Stella said my name it was like resurfacing after being under for five minutes without air.

"Grace…what…what was that?" There was a frightened awe in her voice and I blinked.

The green flame was gone; instead there was a charred corpse that looked like bear in its place.

"How..?" Solis asked; rolling the bereskarn over with a branch. A lump formed in my throat,

"Did…did I do that..?" Stella nodded; gazing at me as if I just singlehandedly defeated an Archdemon.

"It, it was a sight to see…you were so focused and…and then you said something and did something with your hands and then this blazing green emblem appeared in front of you and it was like you shoved it forward and then there was a sea of green flames and you charred that…that thing!" _My god…it sounds like something out of a Japanese anime… _

"I've, I've never done that before…_how _did I do that..?" Stella cocked her head to the side; deep in thought,

"I've never witnessed anything like that either…maybe the Keeper would know…" Solis' head snapped up, his golden eyes blazing,

"No, absolutely not! You will not bring her within a mile of our clan! Did you not just see what she did!? She's a danger to us and she's a danger to the clan…not to mention any other clans she stumbles upon." He drew his sword. _Oh shit…_

"Whoa!" Backing away from his approach I desperately searched my brain for something to do. _Oh good god, he's going to kill me…_

"SOLIS!" Stella snapped; grabbing her brother's arm, "What are you doing!?" He glared at her and I shivered; I've never seen someone look so angry…

"Putting her down." A look of disbelief filled Stella's face.

"Putting her down? She's not an animal Solis, she's a person just like you and me!"

"Any normal person shouldn't be able to do that!" He jerked his head towards the still steaming corpse.

"So you're saying a mage isn't a person? So does that mean that the Keeper and Merrill aren't people? Is that what you think!?" Solis stopped,

"You know that's not what I meant!"

"But isn't it!?" Stella pressed, "Any mage, elven or otherwise, has the power to do what she just did. Kill her and you make your opinion clear…" she trailed off and stared _hard_ at her brother.

I don't think I've ever been so grateful in my life…or confused. Why was Stella getting so protective of me? Why was she getting between me and her own _brother_ for me? _What the hell is going in that brain of hers..? _

Wary of the fact that Solis would have no trouble breaking past his sister, I began to back away. _Okay, I just need to make my way to the door and slip in the other room without them knowing it. Then, I can make a break for it..._Satisfied with my not so half assed plan, I made my way to the door. Reaching out behind me I gently grasped for a doorknob or something. My hand brushed against a handle and carefully I pulled the door open a crack; just wide enough for me to slip through.

_Then what? What are you going to do next? Live in the woods like some hermit? _

_ That…is a very strong possibility._

_ Ha, don't make me laugh! You'll be lucky if you last two days in this hell hole! You'll end up getting gutted by the Dalish, darkspawn, or Templars! TEMPLARS! You're a mage now Grace! A mage! And right now you have no idea what you're doing or what's going on! You need answers! And as unappealing as it is, you need to stick with Mahariel and her brother! _

_ You do realize that her brother is a very pissed off and prejudice elf warrior who would like nothing more than to shank me with that giant ass sword of his!_

_ I could totally make something perverted and dirty out of what you just thought, but I won't. Grace, think about what's happened to you so far! You've woken up in the Brecilian Forest with two VERY gorgeous elves—_

_ One's a woman!_

_—standing over you! Brecilian Forest! Elves! Places and people from a damn video game! Then you trot on down into some haunted and tainted ruins, face a bereskarn, a tainted bear may I add, and you end up roasting it to a damn crisp! And not to mention, ever since you came down here, you've been hearing voices! Voices!_

_Actually, it's just one voice—_

_And you're scared Grace. You are terrified. And we both know what happens when you're scared. You, you close yourself off and make an ass of yourself. We both know that you aren't someone who stutters! You are a damn Gemini! And this, this is your worst fear: not knowing what's going on! You are built on intellect and knowledge and when you don't have that! Well, we know what happens…you need to stay Grace…just for a little while…until you can figure this out._

_…damn you subconscious…_ I stopped and looked up at the two feuding siblings. _I'm right…I need to stick it out…_

"Hey, hey guys…can we just, just get the hell out of here. It's cold, I'm filthy, and exhausted! I've managed to cry, pass out, and get the living shit scared out of me in the span of four hours! I just want to GTFO, take a shower, and go to bed! So for the love of God, the Creators, Andraste, or whoever the hell you worship; lets. GO! Please! So let's march through that door, have Fate or Destiny or whatever the hell fuck up our lives, AGAIN in my case, and let's go home…or something equivalent to it!" I was heaving after my little…episode. Bending forward, I put my hands on my knees and looked up. Stella and Solis' gold eyes were wide with shock and surprise and I couldn't help the small shard of pride that welled up when I saw Solis' shock. _Not so bad for cowardly shem eh!? _

…Though after five minutes of their staring, I was beginning to fidget…_Jesus, don't stare at me like that…it's kinda freaking me out…_

…

Stella's POV

She was not expecting that from the dark haired human. She really wasn't. She liked Grace well enough, she was interesting and a little strange but so was she, though she would have never had guessed that Grace had the courage to say, or shout, all that. Tilting her head to the side she couldn't help the large grin that stretched her face, _take that Brother! _

…

My POV

Alright, it's official: I am severely creeped out. Stella had this freaky ass smile on her face and Solis…well he down right terrified me so seeing him with no emotion what so ever was a little…unnerving. Shifting slightly, I began to pull at my sleeves.

"Um…guys…can we go…? Please?" Stella effortlessly and gracefully slid up next to me and I couldn't help but envy her prettiness _and_ balance.

"Of course we can, come along Solis." And with that she slipped her arm into mine and half dragged, half led me through the door into the room with the Eluvian.

_"No! Don't go!" Crap…! It's that voice again!_

_ "Who the hell are you!?"_

_ "Please, don't go! Evil things…" _We crossed over the threshold. _"…lurk…come…no…!" _The voice got noticeably weaker and soon faded away like a breeze. _Okaaaaaaaaaaaaaay! Still not getting used to that! _

"By the Creators…it's beautiful."

"What?" Blinking, I looked up and was quiet taken aback at the sight. The mirror, the mirror was gorgeous…

Delicate spirals danced up and down the frame of what looked like ivory. The faint beams of sunlight caused it to sparkle and the glass…good God the glass! It was the prettiest shade of blue I had ever seen!

"Holy shit…now _that_ could bring some splendor and class in my apartment!" I muttered, taking a step forward. Writing was written across the top and I couldn't tear my eyes away from it. _Dude…no wonder Merrill was obsessed with…it's beautiful…_ Fighting the urge to touch it, I turned my gaze towards the sibling behind me.

Stella's golden eyes danced with awe and wonder. Her black hair had fallen fell into her face and she seemed to be fighting the urge to tackle the mirror and bring it home.

Solis on the other hand had already made it up to the mirror and was reaching a hand out…WAIT A MINUTE! WHAT!? I reached out a hand and called out,

"SOLIS NO!" It was too late; his hand brushed the mirror and he jerked at the sound of his name, but it was like someone had sunk invisible claws into his arm. He couldn't move and I watched in horror as the mirror began to ripple. It was getting harder to breathe, it was as if the air was sucked out of the room with a giant straw and I began to hyperventilate.

Sweat trickled down my back and I lost all control of my body…the pressure…the pressure was killing me. I slowly sank to my knees, vaguely noticing Stella doing the same. _This is it…I'm gonna die…_A bright light filled the room and I was thrown across the room like a ragdoll.

I hit the wall hard, and a pained groan left my lips. Another dull thud indicated to me that Stella had done the same. It was getting harder to keep my eyes opened and I didn't, or maybe couldn't, fight it. I was out cold in seconds.

…

Muhammad's POV

"What's going on!? Where's my sister!?" My voice cracked at the end, but right now I really didn't give a crap. Everything's been a whirlwind since Dad got that phone call. There was shouting, tears, and anger. It took me five hours just to learn that Grace was gone! GONE! Like something out of those mystery books Grace liked (_likes_) to read so much. Now I was hauled off to some interrogation room or whatever and being questioned. _Like I have a clue where she is_, I thought bitterly, _she hasn't called in months. _

Now I loved my half-sister, I really did, and this whole kidnapping and missing person's thing was freaking me out…but would it have killed her to call at _least_ once a month?

"Muhammad, do you know anyone who would want to hurt your sister?" Alice, my interrogation officer, asked. She was pretty, with red hair and soft brown eyes, she looked like someone Grace would've been friends with…she always did have a thing for red heads.

"My sister, she kept to herself. I mean she wasn't shy…not really any ways. At first, especially if she's confused or nervous, she might keep to herself but she was by no means someone to sit on the sidelines." Alice took some notes, wisps of red hair falling out of her ponytail,  
"That's not what Miss ****** said, far from it actually." I bit my lip,

"Well…Grace really has kept to herself during college, but that's because she working her butt off to get her PhD."

"Doctor or engineer?"

"Archaeologist," I corrected, "but in archaeology if you aren't willing to travel or if you don't have the one the best backgrounds or degrees you'll probably won't get anywhere.

But I can see why Tina said that…she isn't a party animal. Never was and never will be, but in middle school she was a giant ball of energy."

"Yes I can see that, didn't she go into politics?"

"She still is, but that careers been put on hold. It's hard enough for her to pay for both school and campaigns and what not." I sighed, "And people say _I'm _stubborn, her grandfather on her mother's side offered to invest but she turned it down; something about how she wasn't going to be like those other 'trust fund babies'. Or something like that." Alice closed her notebook and stood up,

"Thank you, that's all I need for now…if you need anything call me." She gave me her number. I grasped the card tightly, crumbling it in my hand,

"All I need for you to do is find my sister…alive."

…

My POV

Vision blurry, I could vaguely make out a form above me,

"I'm…sorry…-ld on." I fell back into unconsciousness.

…

I woke up. Reaching out, I groped for my glasses,

"God that was one hell of a realistic dream…Jesus Christ I'm so fucking sore!" My hand met with soft fur and I closed my eyes, "It wasn't a dream…well shit." Propping myself up on my elbows I took a look around. Without my glasses though, everything was just a giant blur. "Shit, where are my glasses?" After some blind searching I felt the smooth plastic of my frames and slid them onto my face and everything came into focus. "Whoa, that's…colorful."

The tent (or is it aravel?) was a bright red laced with gold threading. Halla and other animals seemed to move across the red background and Elvish words were written across the top. Splotches of blue and green appeared with the occasional orange and silver.

I whistled, "Damn, those Dalish do not hold back with their colors." Pulling myself up so I was propped up against the pillow I winced and hissed as a burning sensation flowed through my veins. Tears prickling my eyes, I tried to focus on my breathing and not the fire that seemed to replace my blood.

"Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, oh shit!" I cried out, my mantra ending in a whimper as I doubled over in agony. Clutching my stomach I stayed like that for God only knows how long, whimpering and crying. I was so caught up in pain I didn't notice someone enter through the flap and jumped when I felt a cool, calloused, and wrinkled hand on my forehead.

"Wha—? OH GOD!" The pain intensified where the hand had touched me, like a horrible migraine that was only getting worse because of noise and sunlight. I bit my lip so hard that it split and I could taste the blood and feel that slight throb of pain but it was caught up in the whirlwind of pain and soon all that mattered was the liquid fire running through me.

"Hush da'len, everything will be fine in a moment." Cracking my eyes open at the soft feminine voice I saw a faint gleam of blue light and heard some soft incantation said and then a sensation of a bucket of ice water being dumped over me. Gasping with relief and shock, I sucked in large breaths of air as the fire retreated and was replaced with numbing cold.

"Oh my God, oh my God, thank you." I sobbed; not caring how sandpapery my voice sounded.

"You are welcome da'len, here eat." A bowl full of meat, wild onions, and some kind of grain was thrust into my face along with a plate full of wild strawberries and a glass of water. Without saying a word I dived into the food, inhaling the strawberries within seconds and starting on the bowl of meat. Using the spoon that was given to me, I devoured the bowl of food in minutes and then downed the glass of water in record time.

"Thank you," I muttered; feeling shy as I realized how barbaric I must've looked. A soft laugh filled the aravel and I noticed how pleasant it was. It wasn't too low or high-pitched, it was right there in between and had that aged kinda sound to it.

"Do not be so shy da'len, it is not unusual for me to see the every day hunter eat as if it had been months since their last meal. Now who are you?" Looking up, I was taken aback at how _green_ her eyes were. It was like the color of sea glass.

"Um, my name's Grace…Grace ******." I whispered; enchanted with her eyes. She smiled; her wrinkled face suddenly looking years younger,

"A pleasure to meet you da'len, I am Keeper Marethari of the Sabrae clan. I have heard much about from Stella, in fact she seemed to have developed a bit of hero worship towards you I am afraid." Blinking owlishly at her, I cocked my head to the side at her statement. _Okay…that girl has problems. _I decided, wondering how in God's name she found me a hero.

"She tells me you are a mage." Marethari continues, as if it was every other day that Stella had hero worship for someone or another. _Actually, that wouldn't surprise me…_

"Um, I guess…I mean I didn't know until…today?"

"It was actually three days ago since you, Stella, and Solis were found and brought here by a Grey Warden." _A Grey Warden? So that means…that means the dude I saw earlier was Duncan! _

"A Grey Warden?" I asked; gently probing the Keeper for info before I jumped to conclusions.

"Yes, I do believe he said his name was Duncan." _Holy crap, so that means I was saved by the Warden Commander of Ferelden! _

"Back to the point, what do you mean you didn't know you were a mage prior to your adventure through the ruins?"

"How it sounds, I didn't realize I was a mage until I burned a bereskarn to the crisp with some magical green flames." Marethari rose an eyebrow as she continued to watch me play with the wooden cup that had been given to me. Tracing my finger along the grain of the wood, I squirmed under her intense gaze.

"Hmm, I've heard of this. A mage's magic not manifesting until adulthood. It is rare, but I happens. Now you said you summoned a green flame? I thought you said you didn't know you were a mage until then, so how did you manage to conjure up the fire?" I shrugged,

"I don't know, I mean Stella said I seemed to fade out and then started doing some hand movements and whispering some incantation of some sort and then BOOM, out came the fire and I passed out." I sighed, "I don't even remember doing that, I mean my emotions went haywire and there was a flame flickering in my palm, changing colors. I mentioned that green was my favorite and it stopped and stayed green. I was shocked and dropped it then everything turned blurry and then nothing. Nothing at all."

"So you subconsciously summoned the spell…interesting." Marethari stood up and I shakily got to my feet, "Come, the Warden wishes to speak to you…and I have something that may help you on your journey." With that she stepped out and I was left to follow her.

"Before you come out may I advise you to get changed?" I stopped. Looked down. Cue blush. I was as naked as the day I was born.

"You couldn't have told me that sooner!?"

…

"Warden man say what now!?" I blurted out, not being able to stop myself. Though before I elaborate let me rewind.

After the whole thing with Marethari, she led me to her aravel and gave me four very old and very big ass books. They were very detailed manuscripts on the four main schools of magic: Elemental, Healing, Spirit, and Entropy. Then she gave me a simple oak staff, a leather bound journal, quill and ink, and a set of robes (why she had robes designed for humans I don't know and I don't think I want to know). Stuffing everything into a leather satchel, minus the robes, she left me to change.

The robes were a simple pale lavender and grey color made out of soft cotton, but I could feel the magic coursing through them. I was bathed (I really don't want to think about how) and my hair had been braided and I admit, I looked pretty damn good. The robes was loose enough that it hid my chub but wasn't falling off of me and all in all it was really cute.

After I was done, I met Marethari outside and we made our way to Stella and Solis, me struggling under the weight of Marethari's and my books. Then I met Duncan (and yes he was just as hot in real life as he was in the game.) Words were said (which I completely ignored) until he said a very simple four word sentence:

"You have the taint." And that's where we are now.

"Warden man say what now!?"

"You and the Mahariels have caught the Blight."

"But, but how?" Stella asked; gold eyes wide with fear.

"When your brother touched that mirror he released the taint that was within." He explained causing Solis to look down and I was briefly reminded of a kicked puppy. _Poor dude, must feel like crap. _

_ Not that we care, I mean he tried to kill you!_

_ So you're saying that we've never experienced pity for our enemies?_

_ No…there was Kayla girl. _I winced,

_Oh yeah, God that poor thing._

_ Dude, that had to have sucked when all of that tissue paper came tumbling out…and the bras…and the tennis balls. _

_ Yes, yes, I remember. I was there!_

_ You know I don't think I've ever seen a person turn that shade of red before…in fact, I didn't even think it was possible. _

_ Well it was._

_ Ooh, someone's a little snippy!_

_ And people wonder why I don't let this side of me come out to play._

_ Oh you're just worried that my awesomeness will attract predators in the form of a male human._

_ Remember the last two "male human predators" you attracted? One became a stalker and the other tried to drag me with him to Cali!_

_ Will ********._

_ Okay first of all, there was no relationship! Second of all, he is ENGAGED! Nothing would ever happen!_

_ Don't you watch soap operas? The dude or the chick always runs out of the church or chapel at the last minute, find the other dude or chick and they get hitched! That coulda happened to you, but noooooo, you had to be bitch to him!_

_ Well excuse me for realizing that soap operas are soap operas! And who the hell are you to be talking!? Two years ago every time I even brought up marriage you would shoot it down faster than you could say 'tying the knot'!_

_ That was before you had a crazy ass stalker on your tail!_

_ So you don't want to be married, you just want the benefits of marriage?_

_ …God you make it sound like we're gold diggers…but yes, yes I do want the benefits of marriage._

_ Or we coulda just blasted his ass with a 12 gauge._

_ And in turn go flying out the window._

_ Yeah, basically._

_ God you need help…_

_ Hey you **are** me!_

"So what do we do?" I asked as I began to gnaw on my thumbnail. Duncan stroke his beard as he began to speak,

"You come with me to Ostagar and become Wardens."

"**_WHAT!?_**" The three of us shouted. Marethari and Duncan winced at our combined vocals but right now the three of us couldn't bring ourselves to care.

"Us!? Grey Wardens!? Dude, Solis and I can barely go five minutes without him trying to kill me!" I shrieked.

"You want this shem to become a Warden!? She can barely talk let alone fight!" Solis added causing me to put my hands on my hips,

"Hey, I was the one who saved both yours and your sister's ass from that bereskarn! I charred the damn thing!"

"Grey Wardens!? How exciting!" Stella chirped; clapping her hands together, eyes shining as if she just won the lottery. This somehow got Solis to stop glaring at me, minus the occasional blink, and he shot his sister a look of disbelief.

"You want to be a Warden!?"

"Don't you!? Can you imagine being a living legend!? Going on adventures and finding treasure! Maybe a bit of romance!?" Here she squealed, "Wouldn't it be exciting!?" Her mini rant shocked us all into silence and we could only stare at the overly excited elf. I let out a puff of air and tugged on braid,

"You do realize that when you become a Warden you may never see your clan again, no you will almost certainly never see your clan again. That and there isn't a 100% guarantee that you'll even become one." The minute the words were out of my mouth I wanted to kick myself! _Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid! What is wrong with me!_

_ A lot—_

_ HUSH!_

Everyone's gaze turned towards me and I shrank back. Marethari's, Solis', and Stella's gaze were curious and Duncan's…well Duncan looked like he wanted to interrogate my sorry ass and then kill me.

"Fuuuuuuuuuuuck, I shouldn't have said that." I muttered; refusing to meet any of their gazes.

"What do you mean there's not a 100% guarantee they'll become Wardens?" Marethari asked; her eyes searching me for answers.

"Wellllllll," I drawled; desperately searching for something, ANYTHING, to save my ass, "Uh…there's…rumors, of, um, people not returning after they join the Wardens…no letters, bodies, nothing." _God someone just shoot me now! _Marethari turned those impossibly green eyes to Duncan,

"Is that true Warden? Is there a chance that…that…" She trailed off and the two seemed to be having a mental conversation. Letting out a breath of relief that the spotlight was off me for the moment I turned to the siblings and saw that they too were in a deep mental convo.

_God, I need to be careful…_I thought; rubbing my head.

_That's for sure! We're not in Kansas anymore Toto, far from it. _I smiled ruefully,

_I'd prefer the Land of Oz over Thedas any day._

_ You and me both, you and me both. _

**And finish~! Woo, that was long and fun. Next up we head to Ostagar and meet everyone's favorite Templar! **

** Speaking of Templars, CULLEN IS A ROMANCE OPTION IN INQUISITION! *Squeals* I am so freakin' excited, can't wait for October OMG! Now I've never finished playing through DA II, but I finished it last night for the first time. MY GOD! Meredith and Orsino really let themselves go, oh and Sebastian is going to come and burn Kirkwall to the ground because I refused to kill Anders. Dude, think this out logically: A) I need a healer, just because I was a mage doesn't mean I bothered spending skill points on the healing ability. Sorry! And B) You do not just sleep with a guy for six years and then kill him! WTF!**

** …Though I'm ashamed to say that my FHawke did sleep around. That one dude in the Rose, Isabela, Fenris, and Anders. Woops! **

** And have you heard that there's going to be a Qunari romance!? When I read this I was like, whoa! What!? And it's not a species, species romance where you have to be Qunari to romance him! That poor elf! She's gonna be ripped in half! Still, super excited and I can't wait! **

** Q #4: What would you do if you found out you were a mage?**

** A #4: I would abuse my Maker given powers and throw over the Chantry…then demand euros for an eternity.**

** Q #5: What DA woman would you go lesbo for? Or guy you'd go gay for? Everyone's welcomed!**

** See all ya'll whenever! **


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